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La Femme Bibliophile: Female book collectors in an age of bibliomania - Lucy Saint-Smith

1.
La Femme Bibliophile
Female Book Collectors
in An Age of Bibliomania

2.
Title page of The bibliomania : or, Book-
madness; containing some account of the
history, symptoms and cure of this fatal
disease, in an epistle addressed to Richard
Heber, esq. / By Thomas Frognall Dibdin, F.S.A.
1809. Source:
http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/pwp/browse.php
?p=001
"Bibliomania is the term of Art
used for the particular
phenomenon of the late
18th century to the early 19th in
which very rich men spent
unfeasibly large sums
of money on books which they
had no interest in reading“
Caroline Murray, ‘Bibliomania’,
Cambridge Library Collection
Blog, 2013
1775-1830 – The Age of Bibliomania

3.
Portrait of Sophia
Banks by Nathaniel
Hone I Source:
National Gallery of
Ireland.
Male Collectors:
• Formed homosocial groups
• Eroticised their books by
comparing them to women
or binding them in women’s
clothing
• Positioned books against
women
Women as collectors
Female Collectors:
• Were seen to collect
decoratively, sentimentally,
not understanding the true
value of what they had
• Had their collections
subsumed into the contents
of the household
• Were excluded from
institutions and social
groups

4.
"The New Woman may develop
into a genuine book-lover; it
is certain that the old one will
not. The Chinese article of
belief that women have no
souls has, after all, something
in its favour."
W. Roberts The Book Hunter in
London
William Roberts – Foremost Expert on Female Collectors?
Front cover of The Book Hunter in London / by
Williams Roberts 1895. Source:
https://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/special/min
or/hague/

10.
"Oh the happy, splendid and
spiritual hours I have passed
with this book in my hands-with
Him beside me - and all that
was sublime in nature and art
around me. Alas, alas! &c. 1845,
Sept. 3d.“
-- Annotation in Lady Morgan’s
copy of Itinerario Istruttivo di
Roma, 1819.
Lady Sydney Morgan 1778-1859

13.
• [regarding books in the Heber sale]"most valuable to many
Bibliomaniacs, but not much in my style of books"
• "Moderate notoriety is by no means desirable for a woman"
• [in response to Dibdin's request for her portrait for his
Reminiscences] "I don't doubt the Book will be an amusing one -
and to have the Portraits of Gentlemen in it is very proper, but I
don't think it would be pleasant for me to be in the Gallery - the
only Lady- so very conspicuous!"
• " I must feel flattered by all you are pleased to say of me, though I
am perfectly sincere when I tell you I had rather it had been less
laudatory - I feel I don't deserve it & I fear others will be of the same
opinion. The more Euphemia keeps her veil down, the better, or she
may chance to be laughed at.“
• "with regard to me I have no objection to the dedication - I have
only one request of matter & that is that as little may be said as
possible - to do otherwise would only bring evidence to ill natured
remarks upon me."
Frances Mary Richardson Currer1785-1861

14.
What Did I Learn?
• Female book collectors of this
period are interesting.
• Collect one thing, collect lots of
things.
• The display’s the thing.
• Family is important.
• It’s not what you know, it’s who.

15.
Where do we go from here?
• Further research into the listed
collectors
• Digitally reconstructing Currer’s
library
• Subscription publishing
• Book collecting amongst more
typical women